Hello and welcome to issue 20 of the Club Times. It has been another busy year for all the youth
groups in Orkney. This newsletter is a flavour of what’s been going on.
Gold Success for Orkney Achievers
Four young folk from Orkney have been awarded the highest accolade in the Duke of Edinburgh
programme.
Halina Romaniszyn, George Ellis, Aidan Morrison and Ingrid Kerr were presented with their Gold
Awards by Fiona Macleod, Acting Minister for Children and Young People, at a reception at
Holyrood Palace in Edinburgh, attended by HRH Earl of
Wessex.
All four have worked their way up through all three levels of
the award, completing the five sections of the award
(expedition, residential, volunteering, physical and skill) over
the last twelve months.
Councillor Harvey Johnston, who is Chair of the Council’s
Education, Leisure and Housing Committee said: “I was
genuinely honoured to be at the ceremony along with the
young folk and their families. The energy and commitment
that they have given to achieving the award is extraordinary and we should be hugely proud of
them as they have done extremely well.”
The Council’s Executive Director of Education, Leisure and Housing, Wilf Weir said: “We are very
proud that four young Orcadians have achieved the highest accolade in the Duke of Edinburgh
Programme with Gold Awards. I was privileged to share this occasion with Halina, George, Aidan,
Ingrid and their families. The Gold Awards are a very fitting tribute to the huge amount of work and
energy they put into the process, the skills they have developed and service they have dedicated
to other people.”
Walter Gorman from the Council’s Community Learning and Development Team said: “I would like
to say a huge ‘well done’ to our Gold achievers. It is by no means an easy task to complete all
three levels and all sections of the award and especially Gold level. It involves many hours of
training, determination and a challenging final expedition. So Aidan, Halina, Ingrid and George
should be immensely proud of their achievements, as I am and I’m sure their parents are.”
West Mainland Youth Achievement Group
Stromness Community Centre Craft Sessions
Stromness Youth Achievement Group arranged activities for younger children during the school
holidays. Lucy and Phoebe are pictured here preparing some of the
crafts. Over 105 children attended during the 6
October sessions. The feedback was great from
the younger children and their parents. As well
as crafts the children are encouraged to play
games and have a well-earned snack.
Bridging the Gap
5 young people from
Stromness Youth Achievement
group have trained themselves
up to help train older people
how to use iPads and use
social media safely. Janette
Mackie and Gemma Gunn
have supported the young
people with 8 weeks training
and to run the course for 10 weeks. Residents at St Peter’s House were offered the chance to try
iPads out as a bit of a practice run before working with the 12 people that came along to the
course at the Stromness Community Centre. The course was funded by the Digital Challenge
Fund. The course has been very popular and names are now on a waiting list for a future course
as long as funding is available for venue hire, refreshments, etc.
Stromness Tree Lighting
Stromness Community Council asked the Stromness Youth
Achievement Group to help with the tree lighting event. 8 young
people dressed up as elves and helped hand out mulled wine and
mince pies. They also helped collect donations of money which will be
used at next year’s fireworks display.
Stromness Youth Achievement Group with Pudsey at Papdale
Halls of Residence
Papdale Halls of Residence invited Stromness Edge and Youth
Achievement Group through to an evening of quizzes and games to
raise money for Children in Need. 15 young people attended and
great fun was had.
Youth Work Changes Lives Campaign
Stromness young people were invited to meet with
Liam McArthur MSP to talk about their involvement in
local youth work projects, how youth work has
changed their lives and how their communities have
benefited from the work they have done. Liam fed
back that he was very impressed by the level of work
that the young people were involved in and how
committed they were towards helping their community.
2015 Orkney Youth Chamber Debate
On the 10 December, young people from Stromness Academy,
Kirkwall Grammar School, The Connect Project and Orkney
College came together to debate three points with Councillors and
Council Officials. The 3 topics discussed were: 1. Should Orkney
take in refugees? 2. Is Orkney the best place in the UK for a young
person to grow up in? 3. Are pupil/student councils the best way
forward to consult the young people of Orkney? The event was
hailed a huge success and prompted lots of ideas for further
discussion and action in the future.
Viking Feast
On 26 June, Orkney Association of Youth Groups offered senior youth groups
from across Orkney the chance to come together and meet other young people
and have fun taking part in Viking themed activities. The day offered a tour of St.
Magnus Cathedra, Viking feast, Viking games, pyrography, Viking costumes,
Viking hair and make-up. The project was developed following interest shown from
Primary Schools from activities with library staff travelling round schools within the
Viking chest. The day was funded by the Culture Fund and Award for All.
Youth Scotland Involvement Training
Involvement Training organised by Community Learning and
Development, Orkney Youth Cafe and Papdale Halls of
Residence.
The aim of Involvement Training is:
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Meaningful participation and involvement of young people.
Improved communication between young people and youth
workers.
Increased skills and capacity-building of young people.
Improved confidence and self-esteem of young people.
Opportunities for young people from different areas to come together, share experiences and
have fun.
Accreditation through the Youth Achievement Awards.
The training took place over 2 weekends. It is aimed at young people aged 14-18 who regularly
attend youth groups. People who have shown an interest in developing their skills and becoming
involved in their group or community. A third stage to the training is expected for the young people
to carry out project in their community.
The photo shows all the young people and staff who participated in the training.
East Mainland Youth Clubs
The Kirkwall and East Mainland Primary Youth Clubs opened their
doors for the Autumn/Winter season, many of which started in early
September. The Holm and St Andrews club being the last to open their
doors to the youngsters at the beginning of November.
The Holm and St Andrews club is proving very popular this year with an
average of 35 children attending each week. A big ‘thank you!’ to the
Holm Community Council for giving the Holm and St Andrews club a cash boost of £250 to spend
on sports and craft equipment to help boost the club’s resources and encourage as many
youngsters as possible to enjoy the facilities.
Lots of fun and games have been had at the Zone for both P4/5 and P6/7 groups, with fun and
games at Halloween.
Our P4/5 and P6/7 youth groups enjoyed a dance session with Just
Dance who kindly came to both clubs to give a hip hop taster session.
The Teens Plus Youth Club is still growing and going well with a few
new members this year. A thank you from us to Lianne from Feel
Fantastic for coming into the club to give us some tips on how to put
make-up on properly, just in time for the Christmas party season! The Teens Plus Club is hoping
to be granted funding for a weekend trip away in the Spring next year to experience new and
exciting things off the island. Watch this space.
As a joint Christmas treat for all the clubs, we booked the Picky Cinema for a private showing of
‘Pan’ this year. A good choice of film enjoyed by young and old.
Youth Awards 2015
The Annual Youth Awards Ceremony was held in King Street Halls on
Tuesday, 17 November. The event was organised by Voluntary Action
Orkney, OIC Community Learning and Orkney Youth Workers Forum.
Young people helped with
the planning and running of
the event. Jack Norquoy,
Thorfinn Moffat and Scott
Manson hosted the event, with Liam McArthur MSP
presenting the awards. Award presented were –
Saltire Awards, Dynamic Youth Awards, Connect
Awards, Youth Achievement Awards, Involvement
Training and Summit Awards.
Club changes in 2015
Staff who have left this year are:
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Emma Springett – Deerness Youth Club.
Paul Casey and Carolyn Cooper – Kirkwall.
Christine Sclater and Gavin Innes – Stromness.
Staff who have joined us this year are:
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Jenny Middlehurst, Keely Donald and Lianne Taylor – Stromness.
Fiona Robertson and Nirit Leonard – Kirkwall.
Laura Baillie – Holm and St Andrews.
Community Learning and Development Service Contact Details
Orkney Islands Council – Telephone: 01856873535.
Head of Leisure and Lifelong Learning.
Karen Greaves.
Community Learning and Development Team Leader (Acting).
Bill Innes – extension 2425.
Community Learning Officers.
Walter Gorman – extension 2423.
Ernie Skea – extension 2424.
Lynn Bartlett (Temporary) – extension 2432.
Area Youth Workers.
Maureen Herdman – telephone: 01856850712.
Lyndsey Walmsley (Temporary) – extension 2428.